


Onto the Earth

by panchostokes (badwolfrun)



Series: Prompt Fics [58]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, Episode: s06e04 Shooting Stars, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, not really that shippy but can be interpreted as such, oooh this episode tag didn't really exist before now, that's gonna change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22642627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/pseuds/panchostokes
Summary: Greg catches Nick on his way out of the bunker.
Relationships: Greg Sanders & Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Series: Prompt Fics [58]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540795
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Onto the Earth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Danni_Lea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danni_Lea/gifts).



> written for a tumblr prompt

“Don’t walk away from me.”

Nick keeps walking but something grabs his arm, pulls him back, which does nothing but increase the beat of his heart that was already working overtime as he was working to move as fast and far away from the bunker as possible. He didn’t even park that far, but somehow his car feels like it’s miles away, and at the same time, he feels like he was just as far from the bunker, trapped in a limbo, his feet sinking down into the earth with every step.

“Get off me, Sanders,” Nick snaps, cringing at the dryness in his voice, though his whole body is drenched in sweat.

“An hour ago you’re waving to me across the dessert with a smile on your face and now you won’t even give me the light of day, what gives, man? What’s going on?” 

Nick avoids meeting Greg’s eyes, he looks back at the pulsing building, the giant fan still whooping, humming, trying to draw him back underground, back into suffocation.

“Nothin’ just forget it.”

He tries to shake off Greg’s hand on his shoulder, but Greg just tightens his grasp.

“You look a bit pale, Nick–”

“I’m _fine–”_

Nick once again tries to get out of his hold, which is looser than expected, and he drops the kit and evidence bag in his hands, and he falls along with it, onto his back.

Onto the ground.

Onto the earth.

Desert soil.

Desert soil that’s rough, coarse, loose enough that his fingers fall into it, he can feel the raw particles wedge into his fingernails, can feel the the five trunks of his hand elongate, pulled down into the depths of the earth, threatening to swallow him hole–

He pushes himself up, more frantic than he really intended–he falls back down and Greg tries to grab him.

“Get off me, _I’m fine, G!”_ he protests as he manages to get to his feet, though he does feel out for support and instantly regrets pushing Greg outside of that zone. He nearly falls again, but somehow manages to turn his teetering into a taut standing position.

“What happened down…” Greg’s voice trails as he looks at Nick, then to the bunker, then back at Nick. “…there.”

Nick gulps as he regains control of his breathing, licking his dry lips, he bends down to pick up his kit and evidence.

“Hey, seriously, Nick…are you all right?”

“I’m fi–” Nick’s voice catches itself in a high pitched retch. “I’m fine. I-I’m sorry, G, I’m just…really hot. A-and tired. See you back at the lab.”

Nick finally moves forward, towards his car pulsing in the distance, but Greg’s voice stops him in his tracks. 

“Hey, Nick? That was brave of you, you know. You didn’t have to go down there. I could have gone instead.”

He turns his head back, the words that don’t necessarily correlate to the bunker or even this case altogether, barely escape his lips in a whisper that he knows Greg can’t, and doesn’t hear.

_“No, you couldn’t.”_


End file.
